Massage therapy offers clients an all-natural approach to dealing with stress and physical ailments in a day in age where all too often people seek a magic pill to solve their problems. We have developed into a society that packs in so many responsibilities into each day. Between our careers and family it is all too often that people don’t take the time to take a breath and do something for themselves.

Massage therapy and bodywork offers that release from those day to day responsibilities even if it is just for 30 minutes or an hour. This is a time of healing and a recharging of our batteries so that we are better equipped to tackle the everyday tasks in our lives.

As massage can be a source of stress relief, it is equally as effective in resolving recurrent physical injuries. Whether you are a weightlifter, runner, Crossfitter, work a physically demanding profession or sit at a computer all day, we all deal with muscle pain and other physical ailments caused by our day-to-day activities.

Massage therapy offers an individualized approach to each client and each massage session can be catered to treat specific problems clients are facing. This underscores the importance of having a massage therapist that is in tune to their client’s needs and is able to address these needs during a massage therapy session. There is no greater feeling as a massage therapist than seeing their clients benefit emotionally and physically from massage and bodywork.

Besides increasing relaxation and decreasing anxiety, massage lowers your blood pressure, increases circulation, improves recovery from injury, improves sleep and can increase you attentiveness. Studies have shown we can benefit from massage even in small doses like a 15 minute chair massage or a half-hour table session.

Getting a deep tissue, Swedish, hot stone or Thai yoga massage does more than just relax your body and mind. There are specific physiological and psychological changes which occur, even more so when massage is utilized as a preventative, frequent therapy and not simply as a luxury (Body Sense Magazine, fall 2001).

Massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive approach based on the body’s natural ability to heal itself. So what exactly are the benefits to receiving regular massage and/or bodywork treatments?

• Increases circulation, allowing the body to generate more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs.
• Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles.
• Reduces muscle spasms and cramping.
• Increases joint flexibility by breaking up tissues and knots that develop over time. Reduces recovery time, helps the body prepare for strenuous workouts and eliminates subsequent pains of the athlete at any level.

Releases endorphins, the body’s natural pain killer, which assists the body in dealing with chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to control and relieve pain. Reduces post-surgery adhesions and can be used to reduce and realign scar tissue after healing has occurred.

Improves range-of-motion and decreases discomfort for clients with low back pain.

Relieves pain for migraine sufferers (Body Sense Magazine, fall 2001).

The medical field has established a direct correlation between high stress levels and the decrease of the body’s ability to fight diseases like cancer. If you could do something to decrease stress and increase your overall sense of well being and immune system health would you do it? If you answered yes, then massage therapy and bodywork can fill that role in your life as it has been proven to offer much more for your health and well being than you may have thought.

All of the benefits of massage therapy and bodywork can be found through Market Street Massage Bodywork and Gift Shop where services such as deep tissue, Swedish, sports massage, chair massage, hot stone, pre-natal, myofascial release, reflexology and Thai yoga massage services are offered.

Angie Shiflett, LMBT #7151 is a massage therapist at Market Street Massage Bodywork and Gift Shop located at 141 North Market Street in Washington and can be reached for appointment by calling (252) 946-8989. Angie provides massage therapy services to cancer patients, survivors and caregivers through funds provided by the Shepard Cancer Foundation. Please take this opportunity to experience the many benefits of massage therapy has to offer.